[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-105":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1205394,1561,"Chapter 105: Book 3: Defender of Shunxiang Fortress, Chapter 105: Shooting to Kill","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-105",105,"\u003Cp>Book 3: Defender of Shunxiang Fortress, Chapter 105: Shooting to Kill\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mist of blood erupted from the head of that Fende Boshiku. He toppled to the left side at once. He crashed to the ground, already dead, but his eyes were wide open, filled with an expression of utter disbelief — he had been shot in the head by Sun Sanjie's arquebus from over twenty paces away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speeding bullet tore through his helmet and blasted a large hole in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This weapon originally did not exist in China; it was first acquired from the Japanese pirates. It differs from all other firearms: its power can pierce armor, its shot can hit the mark, which bows and arrows cannot match. It can even strike the eye of a coin, not merely pierce a willow leaf. ... As for the aiming method, there is a star on the rear of the arquebus and a star on the sight; align the eye with the rear star, align the rear star with the front star, and align the front star with the target. Thus, eight or nine out of ten shots hit. Even birds in the forest can be shot down, hence its name...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were Grandfather Qi's words evaluating a fine arquebus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the arquebus was introduced to China, it followed a developmental path different from that of the West. It was renowned for its long range and high accuracy. If one used a crude, large-bore smoothbore gun from the West, attempting to snipe enemy soldiers was, of course, out of the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Sanjie's greatest passion in daily life was tinkering with his arquebus. His mastery of the arquebus surpassed even that of Zhong Xiancai, the ace arquebusier of the Shunxiang Army. His arquebus, too, had been forged by a skilled craftsman using many catties of fine iron, and was the most superb and excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one shot he killed that Fende Boshiku. Immediately, chaos broke out among the Qing soldiers below the wall. Several Heavy Armor Soldiers and Horse Armor Soldiers threw themselves onto the Fende Boshiku, calling out urgently, while several others began to wail and howl loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Sanjie swiftly left the crenel on the bastion. Very soon, he reappeared on the right side of the barbican, continuing to observe the Qing soldiers below the wall from there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the observation hole in the barbican's crenellated wall, he watched the area below the wall with a sidelong, almost absent gaze, while his hands moved ceaselessly, loading new powder and shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arquebus in his hands was quietly extended through the observation hole in the crenellated wall, and he took aim at another infantry Fende Boshiku in heavy armor with a black tassel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He focused his mind and calmed his breath, murmuring softly: \"Namo hēlādánà, duōlāyèyē. Namo ālīyē, pólújiédì, shuòbōlāyē...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abruptly, Sun Sanjie pulled the trigger again. With a crack, flame and smoke belched from the muzzle of his gun. That infantry Fende Boshiku beside the shield cart was also knocked to the ground. He clutched his neck, making gurgling sounds. The armor plates at his neck had been pierced, the arquebus ball had shot inside, and fresh blood gushed out continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With two officers killed in succession, the Qing soldiers below the wall fell into even greater chaos. Several Heavy Armor and Horse Armor soldiers roared unceasingly. Only one short, stocky Heavy Armor soldier cast a cold, sinister glance toward Sun Sanjie's position; a heavy arrow was already nocked on the large bow in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Sanjie shot and killed two Qing soldier officers below the wall in succession. The morale of the Rear Sentinel troops defending the left-side wall immediately soared. Wang Dou, upon hearing the news, was also extremely delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, on the left-side wall, the slaughter was growing ever more intense. The suspended shelters and straw screens at many crenels had been toppled and torn apart. Chevaux-de-frise lay scattered in disarray across the wall. Everywhere were corpses and fresh blood from both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that brief span of time, the majority of the Qing soldiers who had leaped onto the wall in this wave had already been killed. Over thirty Qing corpses and gravely wounded men not yet dead lay strewn across the wall. Only four or five remained, still fighting bitterly. Knowing they had no escape, they shouted wildly down at those below the wall while battling with the desperate ferocity of mad tigers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fighting on the left-side wall, the Shunxiang Fortress soldiers had also suffered nearly twenty casualties. Apart from the nearly ten Qing soldiers earlier dropped onto the chevaux-de-frise and shot dead by the arquebusiers, the rest were the result of the pikemen and arquebusiers trading life for life with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Left Sentinel's First Company in particular suffered severe casualties. However, the elimination of these few remaining Qing soldiers was only a matter of moments. Squad after squad of pikemen closed in, and many arquebusiers, having finished loading their powder and shot, also surrounded them from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the left-side wall of Shunxiang Fortress, that Niru Zhangjing was waiting anxiously. Not to mention the severely depleted auxiliary followers and support troops, among the over one hundred and fifty combat soldiers of the Qing force below the wall, more than twenty combat soldiers had already been lost. After the ladders were set, over thirty combat soldiers had successively leaped onto the wall from the various ladders. The casualties plus the men fighting on the wall already accounted for one-third of the total combat soldiers on this side. Yet from the wall top, no news of their victory or the Ming army's collapse had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just then, news of that Fende Boshiku's death came from beneath the right-side wall, and from afar he could faintly hear the shouts of the Qing soldiers on the wall. That Niru Zhangjing was even more dumbstruck. He and the several officers beside him looked at each other in dismay, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wall assault had entered its most critical moment. With casualties so heavy now, if he failed to take this Shunxiang Fortress, the Jalan commander would surely not let him off. Staking everything on one throw, he ordered two Fende Boshiku, each leading twenty Horse Armor soldiers, to mount the wall and fight, and also ordered a Zhuangda to lead seventeen Heavy Armor Soldiers to follow and reinforce them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the gate tower, Wang Dou was closely watching the battle situation on the wall. In the fierce, desperate fighting just now between the Shunxiang Fortress soldiers and the Qing troops, he noticed that because friend and foe were locked in melee, his own arquebusiers, afraid of hitting their own brothers on the wall, mostly dared not fire. Yet whenever their arquebuses did sound, a Qing soldier would be knocked to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to exploit the arquebusiers' advantage and reduce their own casualties! He was observing and pondering deeply when suddenly, war cries rang out. Another large group of Qing soldiers leaped onto the wall from the various ladders. This wave numbered at least several dozen men, and among the Qing soldiers, formidable Heavy Armor Soldiers even appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou saw clearly and made an immediate decision: \"Open the wall top, let the slave soldiers come up. Order the arquebusiers to shoot them down first, then order the pikemen to thrust and kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The standard-bearer beside him hurriedly went to relay the order. Immediately, the pikemen and arquebusiers locked in combat with the Qing soldiers did not hesitate. They retreated one after another. The soldiers of the Left Sentinel's First Company and Second Company, who were near the barbican, withdrew to the front of the gate tower. The soldiers of the Left Sentinel's Third Company and Fourth Company withdrew to the wall stairs at the other end. They rapidly formed ranks in front of the gate tower, pikemen in the center, arquebusiers on the flanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially at the very front stood two rows of over ten arquebusiers, one row kneeling, one row standing. The dense mass of black arquebus muzzles was aimed directly at those Qing soldiers ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Wang Dou was taking a risk by doing this. Retreating at the height of fierce combat — if this were any other Ming army, they might well have collapsed in rout. But the Shunxiang Army had strict discipline and rigorous training, so such a situation would not occur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, there were about sixty-some Qing soldiers on the wall. Seeing the Shunxiang Army suddenly retreat, with not a single Ming soldier left on the wall top to face them, they were all surprised and delighted. Had the Ming army been defeated and fled? But they soon understood: the Ming soldiers on the wall had withdrawn to the far side of the wall to re-form their ranks. They quickly clustered together, aiming the dense mass of black arquebus muzzles at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This siege had made many Qing soldiers understand the power of Shunxiang Fortress's arquebuses. For a moment, quite a few Qing soldiers turned pale, regretting that they had not followed up and charged just now, giving those Ming arquebusiers a chance to shoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they clustered together, that Heavy Armor Soldier Zhuangda, who had not participated in the earlier wall assault and had only watched from afar at the rear, was brimming with confidence. He had campaigned across the length and breadth of the Great Ming for many years and had never met a match. Moreover, this Zhuangda stubbornly believed that the Ming army's arquebuses could hardly penetrate the double layers of heavy armor they wore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barked sternly: \"Warriors of the Great Qing, could you possibly fear the firearms of those Han dogs? Remember this: the Han dogs' arquebuses are slow to load. Once we charge into close range, those Han dogs will be at our mercy to slaughter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loudly made arrangements. Facing the gate tower, he personally led seventeen Heavy Armor Soldiers to spearhead the assault, with one Fende Boshiku leading twenty Horse Armor Soldiers following in support. The other Fende Boshiku led the remaining soldiers to charge the Ming troops at the other end of the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the arrangements were complete, the Qing soldiers on the wall all brandished their weapons and howled to boost their morale. They had fought countless campaigns and did not believe they would meet their end in this tiny, remote fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thirty-seven Qing soldiers at this end of the gate tower were only a little over twenty paces from the Shunxiang Army. Under the cover of several heavy shields, led by that Heavy Armor Zhuangda and the Fende Boshiku, they slowly advanced several paces, then suddenly let out a great roar and charged howling toward the Shunxiang Army in front of the gate tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Heavy Armor Soldier Zhuangda shouted the loudest and charged at the very front. He wore a red-tasseled square banner and three layers of heavy armor on his body. In his hands he brandished an iron long-handled tiger-tooth sword, nearly six feet in full length, its blade sharp and upswept, gleaming with the cold light of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close behind him were five or six Heavy Armor Soldiers clad in heavy armor — all the most elite warriors of each Qing Niru. Some carried shields and broadswords, others brandished long-handled great blades or large axes, charging forward with howls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tremendous roar of arquebus fire erupted. The eight arquebusiers kneeling in the frontmost row in front of the gate tower fired in unison. Amid the flames and smoke, several arquebus shots struck the Heavy Armor Soldier Zhuangda simultaneously. Even though he wore three layers of heavy armor, at such close range, the power of Shunxiang Fortress's arquebuses easily tore through his armor, blasting several huge bloody holes in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Heavy Armor Soldier Zhuangda staggered backward and fell. He lay sprawled on the ground, eyes wide open, his gaze filled with disbelief. He had campaigned for years, roamed across every region, and his own martial valor had not even been brought into play — and he died just like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharing his fate were the four Heavy Armor Soldiers behind and beside him. They all wore two layers of heavy armor, two of them even carried shields, each man exceptionally fierce and brave. Yet none of these Heavy Armor Soldiers had the chance to display their martial valor before being shot down one by one by Shunxiang Fortress's arquebuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first volley had barely ceased, their screams still lingering, when another deafening roar of gunfire erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second row of standing arquebusiers fired in unison. Their muzzles spewed trails of deathly light and mist, knocking down one Qing soldier after another who had pressed to within a few paces. Through the billowing smoke, one could see the faces of the Qing soldiers coming up behind filled with hesitation and terror — even those Heavy Armor Soldiers were no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The close-range firepower of Shunxiang Fortress's arquebuses deeply awed and terrified them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A row of iron-armored pikemen swiftly threaded through the gaps between the front-row arquebusiers, leveled their spears, and charged forward with piercing screams!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※※※\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old White Ox:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Responding to Book Friend Hard Drive Coffee 001:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You suggested having the arquebusiers find a wooden plank, drill a hole in it, and stand it at the crenel. To be honest, shooting would not be convenient. The suspended shelters erected at the crenels are just thick wooden planks with holes in them. The observation holes in the crenellated wall are even larger, but because the crenellated wall and crenels are very thick, at least half a meter, the field of view looking out from inside the hole is very small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is a section of city wall by the river in my county seat. I went to look at it; shooting from inside the hole is very inconvenient.\u003C\u002Fp>",2333,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","505abd80462820cd5ea4934528aca552f349553ebc0dd511720d0f431bc179eb","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-106","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-104",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]